Florian Begaj, reported as a man from Albania who had obtained refugee status, offered a stranded woman a lift, brought her instead to his Blanchardstown apartment and assaulted her. A jury convicted him of aggravated sexual assault while acquitting him of rape.
The encounter
In the early hours of New Year’s Day 2008, Begaj met the woman in central Dublin, used the name “Anton” and said he was Greek. When she became separated from friends and was trying to find a taxi, he offered her a lift. The car went instead to his apartment.
The assault and verdict
Garda evidence recorded that Begaj forced the woman onto a sofa, removed her trousers and physically assaulted her as she resisted. He later attended a Garda station voluntarily but denied the allegation. After a five-day Central Criminal Court trial, the jury convicted him of aggravated sexual assault and acquitted him of rape.
Timeline
- Approximately 2003: Approximate arrival inferred only from the 2010 report saying he had lived in Ireland seven years.
- 1 January 2008: Offence at his Blanchardstown apartment.
- April 2010: Convicted of aggravated sexual assault; acquitted of rape.
- 18 May 2010: Sentenced to three and a half years, with registration and post-release supervision.
Cost benchmark
Three and a half years at the Irish Prison Service 2024 staffed-space average gives a nominal gross benchmark of €346,752. This does not prove time served and excludes investigation, courts, legal aid, victim support, supervision and immigration administration.
Limits of the record
The Irish Times reported that Begaj was from Albania, had been in Ireland for seven years and had obtained refugee status. This file does not invent citizenship, asylum dates or a later immigration outcome. No reliable source located establishes an appeal or later Irish conviction.